• Published 14th Mar 2018
  • 2,058 Views, 6 Comments

We Believe In You, Luna - KayeStar



Why has Luna gone so long without a throne? Well, to put it simply, Celestia forgot.

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It's Time

Everything was finally set up with a few minutes to spare. The throne was set in place, the party decorations were set up, and the cake had finally arrived. It arrived late, but still before Luna, so that was close enough to “on time” for Celestia. Shining Armor arrived with Flurry Heart, and the gift Celestia had kept at their castle to ensure Luna didn’t find it.

“Flurry remembered the blindfold,” Shining joked while his giggling daughter tried to navigate around the room without sight.

“Aunt Celestia, I forgot to ask. Why did you invite those fillies?” Cadance asked as she chased after her own blindfolded filly.

“Luna is close to those particular three,” Celestia explained while trying to block Flurry’s path, though even blindfolded, Flurry dodged her. “She has mentored each of them at least once.”

“Sounds like Luna is a big sister in her own way,” Shining said as he made a leap to grab Flurry, but missed and landed flat on his face.

“No, Flurry! Not the cake!” Cadance hurriedly halted Flurry Heart with her magic’s grasp before the bouncing baby could make a blind jump into the cake. She removed the blindfold and set Flurry on the floor. “Not on the table, Flurry.”

Just as they got Flurry Heart settled down, the cutie mark crusaders came running in, and their eager faces gave away they’d done their job.

“Princess Celestia! Your sister is right outside!” Apple Bloom announced. “And we didn’t spill the secret!”

“Thank you, my little ponies. Cadance will get Luna and I will wait in the open. You three hide with Shining Armor and Flurry Heart. Remember: not a sound.” She put a hoof to her lips. “Shhh.”

The fillies mimicked her action. “Shhhhh!”

Cadance headed outside while Celestia dimmed the throne room. Shining Armor, Flurry Heart, and the crusaders hid beneath the table, the cloth obscuring them. Everypony was excitedly anticipating Luna’s reaction to her throne, but none of them more than Celestia. She really had waited too long to give this to Luna. Of course, Luna was also a ruler, and on equal grounds with Celestia, so she didn’t have to wait to be given anything. They had to talk about that later.

Outside, Cadance met with, to her amusement, a rather bored Luna. “How are you, Aunt Luna?”

“Suspicious,” Luna replied dully.

For a moment, Cadance looked uneasy. “You know?”

“No, I do not know what my little friends are up to,” Luna answered with the same dullness. “They’re not so subtle about when they do, however.”

Cadance breathed a sigh of relief. “Don’t worry, Aunt Luna. No trouble! You’ll love this!”

“Young Cadance, what are you referring to?”

Before Luna had a chance to protest against it, Cadance covered her eyes with the blindfold and tied it around her head.

“Cadance, what are you doing?!”

“Just walk with me,” Cadance said. She held a hoof around her dark-coated aunt. “Follow me. You’ll understand when you see it.”

Luna had long mastered patience---the only good that came out of her time on the moon---so she relented and walked along with Cadance.

“Young Cadance,” Luna said as they made their way, “would you happen to know the day’s occasion?”

“What do you mean?”

“Is today the day of a holiday or an event? The little ones mentioned it briefly, but they were not specific. I haven’t any idea of what we are celebrating today, if anything at all.”

Cadance stopped in her tracks, as did Luna since the latter was supposed to be following. Luna couldn’t really forget… nopony could ever forget their…

“Cadance?” Luna muttered.

“Nothing, Aunt Luna. We’re going.” They continued onward until they reached the throne room, but Cadance asked Luna to wait just a moment longer. Luna agreed without excitement, and Cadance walked in alone.

“Where’s Luna?” Celestia whispered.

Cadance leaned close to reply. “Outside the door. Aunt Celestia, I don’t think she knows what today is. You know, the occasion.”

Celestia’s eyes widened. “Are you sure you’re not mistaken? Even I, in all my years, have never heard of anypony forgetting their own---”

She paused when she saw Cadance’s clearly uneasy face. “She said the fillies asked her if she knew what today was. She didn’t know. Maybe we should’ve gone with the big bash.”

“As soon as she takes this throne, I’m sending a letter to Twilight to have her party-planning pink friend bring the party now! Let Luna come in.”

Cadance re-opened the doors, and the sound did not go unheard by Luna. Cadance quickly pulled her in and closed the doors behind them. She then hid under the table with the others, leaving only Celestia and a blindfolded Luna in the open.

Wordlessly, Celestia took Luna’s hoof and began leading her to the dais.

“Celestia?” Luna whispered.

Celestia didn’t say a word.

“Sister, I know it’s you,” Luna whispered. “I don’t need to see or hear you to know you’re here.”

Celestia led Luna up the stairs and seated her. Luna said nothing more and simply waited to see what all of this was leading up to. As quietly as she could, Celestia brought over the gift box and opened it. She set the box down and lifted three articles of regalia from it. Luna could feel as, one by one, the unknown objects were placed on her body, from her each of her hooves to her neck to the top of her head. Celestia seated herself and turned Luna’s head toward her.

“Go ahead,” Celestia said gently. “Take off the blindfold.”

Luna pulled the blindfold off with her hooves. Her first sight was Celestia next to her with a big smile on her face. She instantly knew she was on the dais, but that was an interesting angle… why did Celestia appear on level with her?

Luna turned around for her answer and stepped onto the floor to admire it with a better view. Was that… was that really…?

“S-sister… what is this?”

“Your throne,” Celestia answered as if the question were a casual one. “Do you like it?”

Luna’s mouth was agape, but no words came out. She then looked down at her hooves to see them covered with new, taller shoes. A somewhat bulkier neckplate was in place of her old one and she took her crown off of her head to see it was also new, as black as her old one, but embedded with a light blue gemstone. She replaced it upon her head and gave her sister an uncertain glance. Celestia urged her to sit back down, but Luna hesitated, so Celestia stepped off her own throne instead.

“Luna…” She briefly nuzzled her sister. “I know what makes you hesitate, and after these years that have passed since you returned, it breaks my heart. This is something I should’ve had waiting for you, not the other way around.”

Luna opened her mouth to object, but Celestia gently placed a hoof over Luna’s lips and shook her head.

“No. No more talking down to yourself, my sister. The decision to accept or reject is yours. But make your choice with this in mind: I forgive you, I love you, I believe in you…” She brought her head close to Luna’s and their horns touched. “...and I have no regrets.”

Her brief speech finished, Celestia returned to her throne and closed her eyes. Luna continued to stare at the throne, as if she was looking for some kind of answer from the piece of furniture itself. Did she truly deserve this? Was she really a fit ruler? Was she truly… equal to her sister? After her fall to darkness, she could never believe so. She could pretend she did, and that was on a good day.

Yet, at the same time, she missed sitting next to her sister. In the past, before the start of the problems that put Luna on the path to Nightmare Moon, she and Celestia had many a night on their thrones where they just laughed and talked. It was one of those small things she never stopped missing. She missed when they had that connection of knowing each other was thinking the same thing and the ability to express it with an exchange of glances. She even missed the sillier times, like when they both passed out from exhaustion on their thrones. Thrones did not make comfortable beds.

Yes, she really had missed having a throne for herself. Maybe for more personal, innocuous reasons than royal ones, but she did.

And if Celestia could believe in her…

...could she believe in herself?

She could try.

Luna stepped back onto her throne, front hooves first, followed by a moment of hesitation before she finally climbed onto it and sat properly. She looked over at her sister, whose eyes were now open and returning her gaze.

“I will try.”

“Perfection does not exist,” Celestia told her. “It’s the best we can do.”

Celestia brightened the lights and out popped six cheering ponies from beneath the table. Luna’s jaw dropped in shock as she finally pieced it all together, but when she was able to pick her jaw up, she smiled.

“You little ones knew this all along!” Luna realized.

“Happy birthday, Luna!” the three crusaders shouted in glee.

“Birthday?” It was then Luna noticed the cake on the table and the party decorations abound. “You were trying to remind me of my birthday?”

“Yeah. Did you really forget it was your birthday?” Scootaloo asked.

“No. I’ve just never thought I deserved to be celebrated after the events I caused to transpire,” Luna explained. “I hated my birthday since. Until today. Thank you all.”

“In that case, we have another surprise for you!” Cadance laughed.

“Indeed we do,” Celestia agreed. “But for now, we celebrate the return of our princess.”

“Return?” Luna questioned.

Celestia nodded. “Her return to where she rightfully and truly belongs.”

There was no protesting. Only the biggest of blushing smiles was given in response.